Check the eyes

#eyes#vision#checkup#health

Having someone approach the eyes is uncomfortable, and the unknown moment stirs worry when it is not explained in advance. Pictures that show what will happen give a child a map to lean on. Look at the steps below.

A child pulls down their lower eyelids while a magnifier inspects the eye.

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Check the eyes

A child pulls down their lower eyelids while a magnifier inspects the eye.

A child holds a magnifier up in front of one eye.

♂

Check the eyes

A child holds a magnifier up in front of one eye.

About this visual support

The eyes are sensitive, and a natural reflex is to blink or pull away when something comes near them. When a child also does not know what is about to happen, that reflex easily turns into resistance, and a simple check can become a struggle no one wanted.

Visual support lowers the worry by making the unknown known. When the child has calmly seen a picture of what will happen, how to look and what the adult does, the situation becomes predictable. It is rarely the exam itself that frightens, but the uncertainty about what is coming.

A tip: practise at home first with the same pictures, let the child point at the eye and look in a mirror before it is real. That small dress rehearsal helps the body recognise the situation when it arrives. In the Routined app you can build a short picture series before the visit, so the child can go through the steps several times in advance.